Top Garden Projects for December

December is a good month to put the final finishing
touches to the year's garden. Watering, Dormant spraying, winter
protection of tender plants and planting head the list of December
garden projects.

WATERING - It is especially
important to check the plants under tall evergreens and under the eaves
of the house to see that they have sufficient moisture. In many cases
the plants in these locations are just about bone dry, And, the lack of
moisture and cold winter weather can be fatal to many of these plants,
The plants in most other parts of garden now have received enough
moisture from fall rains to survive quite well, so every effort should
be made to conserve water.

DORMANT SPRAYING - November,
December, January and early February are the months to apply dormant
spray to help control over-wintering insects and diseases on deciduous
trees and shrubs. Liquid lime-sulfur and oil spray combinations are
usually used for this seasonal spraying. Specialists usually recommend
that dormant sprays be applied three times during the winter, with the
first application being made in November, the second in December and
the third in late January or early February about the time the new
growth buds begin to break-open. There is no need to spray any of these
types of plants if there has been no insect or disease problems this
past season. See Also: Sprayers

WINTER PLANT PROTECTION - Should
the weather turn really cold all of a sudden like it has in the past,
it would be a good idea to provide some special protection to tender or
early flowering plants like rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and
daphne. One of the best ways to provide this protection is to simply
cover the plants with some type of cloth material. First place three of
four stakes around the plant then drape the burlap, old blanket or
other cloth type material over the stakes so it does not come into
direct contact with the leaves of the plant, This covering is only left
in place during the cold spell, as soon as the weather moderates,
remove the covering completely. See Protecting Plants During Cold
Weather for more information.

BULBS - There still is time to
plant bulbs of tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and the other
spring flowering bulbs. Prepare the soil by mixing the correct amount
of bulb fertilizer; soil dust and organic humus with your existing
soil. Plant the bulbs approximately three times deeper than the
greatest diameter of the bulb. For example, a crocus bulb with an
average one inch diameter should be planted three inches deep.
See Also: Bulbs

PLANTING TREES AND SHRUBS - Fall
and early winter are ideal times for planting or transplanting both
trees and shrubs. Now during the dormant season is the time when both
will transplant with the minimum amount of transplanting shock. Be sure
to adequately prepare the new planting hole by adding generous amounts
of compost (if available); peat moss and processed manure with your
existing soil. Prepare the new planting soil about twice as large as
the root system of the plant being planted or transplanted. Be sure to
set the plant at the same level as it was previously growing. Large
trees or shrubs should be staked to protect them from wind-whipping
during strong winter wind storms. See also: Transplanting

PRUNING - December is a good month
to prune stone fruits like cherries, plums, prunes and peaches. Apples,
pears and other trees and shrubs can be pruned later this winter, after
the holidays. Delay pruning roses until late February or early March.
See Also: PruningWinter Pruning

TAKING CUTTINGS - Now is a good
time to take cuttings of evergreens, including heathers, rhododendrons,
azaleas, etc. Take the cutting from new established tip growth. Keep
the cuttings indoors in a spot with bright light, where temperatures
range near seventy degrees during the day and night. See
Also: Taking Cuttings

COMPOSTING - Fallen leaves and
unused plant parts should be added to the compost pile to help make
compost humus for use in next years garden.

WEEDS - Take time to pull or
cultivate weeds that are growing in all parts of the garden before they
flower and go to seed again this winter. Otherwise, you will be
fighting those weed seed for many years to come.

LAWN FERTILISING - The first part
of December is considered one of the best times of the entire year for
fertilising the lawn. If moss is a problem in the lawn choose a brand
of lawn fertilizer that has a moss control product added, so you can
accomplish both projects with one easy application. See
Also: Lawn